Zero force connector

ABSTRACT

A printed circuit board connector utilizing a rotatable cam having spring contacts molded therein, the cam being positioned within a channel which is aligned with and substantially parallel to a rectangular slot also located within the connector. Upon insertion of the circuit board into the rectangular slot, the cam is rotated, thus providing electrical contact between specific areas on the circuit board and corresponding contacting areas of terminal members located within the channel.

United States Patent Winklebleck [54] ZERO FORCE CONNECTOR 72 Inventor: m1 x. Wlnklebleck, North Warren, Pa. [73] Assignee: Sylvanla Electric Products Inc. 221 Filed: Aug.28, 1970 21 Appl. No.2 67,746

[52] US. Cl ..339/75 MP, 200/8 R, 339/176 MP [51] Int. Cl ..H0lr 13/54 [58] Field olSeal'ch ..317/l12;200/6R,8R, 14 R,

200/168 R, 166 R, 166 BB, 166 J, 26 R; 339/17 R, 17 L, 17 LM,17 M, 75 R, 75 M, 75 MP, 176 R, 176

M, 176 MP, 274

[56] I Relerences Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 3,444,503 5/1969 Mallery ..339/61 R 3,130,351 4/1964 Giel ..339/74RX 1451 Jan. 1 1972 3,015,000 12/1961 Tabet ..200/14 R 2,988,607 6/1961 Tabet..... .200/14 R x 2,885,500 5/1959 Wall ..200/8 R x Primary Examiner-Marvin A. Champion Assistant Examiner-Terrell P. Lewis Attorney-Norman J. OMalley, Donald R. Castle and William H. McNeill [57] ABSTRACT A printed circuit board connector utilizing a rotatable cam having spring contacts molded therein, the cam being positioned within a channel ivhich is aligned with and substantially parallel to a rectangular slot also located within the-connector.- Upon insertion of the circuit board into the rectangular slot, the cam is rotated, thus providing electrical contact between specific areas on the circuit board and corresponding contacting areas of tenninal members located within the channel.

9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures sisasAss PATENTEB .mu 8 m2 SHEEI 1 0F 2 ATTORNEY asst-.1499

PATEVNTEUJAM 8 me SHEET 2 BF 2 INVENTOR. PAUL K. WINKLEBLECK ATTORNEY ZERO FORCE CONNECTOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to connectors and more particularly zero force against the circuit board upon insertion and removal of the board from the connector.

Standard printed circuit board connectors consist essentially of spring biased metallic contacts acting against each other or against the circuit board during insertion of the board into the connector. These contacts maintain'this pressure until the board is finally withdrawn.

One particular problem affecting connectors of this type has been the inability of these thin metallic contacts to maintain their established positions after repeated insertions and withdrawals of the board.

An additional problem affecting connectors of this type has been one concerning the frictional wear on the thin metal etchings or bondings on the circuit board as well as the fine noble metal coatings on the contacts themselves. Repeated sliding contact of the circuit board against the contact members has resulted in deformation of the circuit board surfaces and gradual wearing away of the metal coatings on the contacts.

The above-mentioned problems have resulted in the need for repair and oftentimes the entire replacement of the connector block and the circuit board, resulting in additional unnecessary manufacturing costs.

It is, therefore, believed that a printed circuit board connector requiring substantially zero force against the circuit board upon insertion and removal of the board from the connector would be an advancement in the art.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Consequently, it is an object of this invention to substantially eliminate frictional wear on printed circuits as well as on the contacting surfaces of the metallic contacts entailed by the insertion and removal of the printed circuit board.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a connector in which electrical contact between the connector terminals and the printed circuit board is substantially improved.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a connector in which the printed circuit board can be easily inserted and removed.

In accordance with one aspect of this invention there is provided a connector for receiving a printed circuit board. Located within the body of this connector is a rotatable cam having a plurality of individual contacts located therein. When a printed circuit board is inserted into a receiving slot within the connector body, it encounters no frictional force. Once insertion has been completed, the cam is rotated thus turning the contacts which meet with the circuit board at one end and the contacting surfaces of the connector terminals at the other, thus providing a durable electrical connection.

For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further objects, advantages and capabilities thereof, reference is made to the following specification and appended claims in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIOn OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded isometric view of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view in section of the present invention with the cam rotated to provide electrical connection between the printed circuit board and terminal of the connector.

As previously mentioned, there is provided a connector for I receiving a printed circuit board. Within this connector is a cam positioned between the inserted printed circuit board and the terminal members of the connector. Upon board insertion the cam, having resilient contacts located therein, is rotated, providing electrical contact between the terminal members and the board. To more fully illustrate the previously described connector, a detailed description of the drawings is provided.

Referring first to FIG. 1, there is shown an exploded view of the components of the present invention. Channel 12, having two opposing end portions 27 and 27' and a larger center portion 16, is located within insulating body 11 and shown to house terminal members 13. Electrical contacting portion 37 of terminal members 13 are positioned within the large center portion 16 of channel 12. Elongated portion 14 of terminal members .13 are shown .protruding from beneath the insulating body 11. The respective positions of these terminal members will be more clearly shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. Rectangular slot 15, which is aligned with, and substantially paralleLto, channel 12 receives the printed circuit board (not shown) and has angular edges 17 to assist in guiding the circuit board into its fully inserted position.

Insulative cam 19 consists of an annular elongated portion 21 having a plurality of resilient contacts 23 located therein. At each end of the annular portion 21 can be seen an extending rectangular body 25.

In order that insulative cam 19 can be housed within insulating'body ll, opposing end portions 27 and 27' are designed to receive the extreme ends 20 of annular elongated portion 21.

Extending rectangular bodies 25 fit just outside the insulating body 11, thus providing a means whereby the cam may be rotated. One particular method of accomplishing this rotation is with a tool member (i.e., an open end wrench) adapted to fit over'the bodies and turn them. Although the present embodiment employs a rectangular body adapted to receive a corresponding tool member, other methods of rotating the cam are possible. One such method would be to replace the extending rectangular body with a shaft and attach a dial member thereto. a

To insure that insulative cam 19 is maintained within insulating body 11 during circuit board insertion and removal, as well as during connector operation, boxlike plugs 29 are press fitted into the upper portions of receptive channels 27 and 27 respectively, once insulative cam 19 is placed within these channels.

These plugs are provided with a protruding rib member 3 which, when the boxlilt'e plug 29 is fitted firmly in place, fits 7 understood that varying the amount of rotation could be accomplished by simply altering the width of indented grooves In FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 there are shown sectional views of the present invention prior to circuit board insertion, shortly after board insertion and cam rotation respectively. 1

In FIG. 2, cam 19 is shown in its proper position as the printed circuit board 35 is brought near the connector. Resilient contact 23 can be seen within annular elongated portion 21 of insulative cam 19. In FIG. 2, the position of the terminal member 13 is more clearly illustrated. Electrical contacting portion 37 of the terminal member is located within the connector body, in position to make contact with the resilient contact 23 upon rotation of the insulative cam 19.

Elongated portion 14 of the terminal member protrudes from beneath the insulative body ll. This elongated portion is consequently connected electrically to an additional component, such as by wire wrapping, soldering, or by insertion into another circuit board. Rectangular slot is shown about to accept the circuit board while angular edge 17 will assist in guiding the board properly duringthe initial stage of insertion. Boxlike plug 29 is now press-fitted within opposing end portion 27 of channel 12 while the protruding rib member 3.1 (shown hidden) is engaged within the indented groove 33 (also shown hidden) of the insulative cam 19. y

in FIG. 3, the relative positions of the cam and other internal components of the connector remain unchanged as the circuit board 35 is inserted completely within rectangular slot FIG. 4 shows the cam rotation as it turns the resilient contact 23; in doing so,'the contact provides a stable electrical connection with electrical contacting portion 37 of terminal member 13 and with the contact surface 39 of the printed circuit board 35: Rotating the cam 19 naturally rotated the indented groove 33 to a displacement in this case of approximately 90. Further movement is restricted by protruding rib member 31 of boxlike plug 29.

To affect withdrawal of the circuit board from the connector, the cam is simply rotated back to its original position and the board is easily removed.

While there have been shown and described what are presently considered the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is obvious. to those skilled in the art that various v changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

lclaim: l. A printed circuit board connector comprisingzf an insulating body of predetermined length, said insulating body having a rectangular slot located therein for receiving said printed circuit board, and a channel having two opposing end portions and a substantially larger center portion substantially parallel to and aligned with said rectangular slot; 7 a plurality of terminal members, each of said members having an electrical contacting portion located within said larger center portion of said channel of said insulating body and an elongated portion protruding from said insulating body; I an insulative cam positioned within said channel of said insaid channel;

plurality of individual resilient contact 'means positioned spacedly upon said insulative cam, said contact means to provide electrical contact between said electrical conresponding areas of said printed circuit board; and

said opposing end portions of said channel of said insulating body. A 2. The printed circuit board connector according to claim 1 in which said resilient contact means consist of a plurality of formed spring members, each having a substantially straight central portion affixed within said insulative cam and having projecting end contacting portions angularly bent to extend from said cam in opposing directions.

3. The printed circuit board connector according to claim 2 -in which said formed spring members are substantially S- shaped.

4. The printed circuit board connector according to claim 1 in which said. means for retaining said insulative cam within said opposing end portions of said channel consist of a plurality of boxlike plugs positioned atop said cam and within said opposing end portions of said channel.

5. The printed circuit board connector according to claim 4 in which each of said boxlike plugs is provided with a protruding rib member. 4 Y

6. The printed circuit board connector according to claim 5 in which said insulative cam is provided with a plurality of indented grooves to mate with said protruding rib members of said 'boxlike plugs, said protruding rib members thereby restricting the amount-pf rotational movement of said cam.

7. The printed circuit board connector according to clarm 1 in which said insulative cam has an end portion, said end portion extending from said insulative body and incorporating means to facilitate movement of said cam after insertion of I tacting portions of said terminal members and cor-v 

1. A printed circuit board connector comprising: an insulating body of predetermined length, said insulating body having a rectangular slot located therein for receiving said printed circuit board, and a channel having two opposing end portions and a substantially larger center portion substantially parallel to and aligned with said rectangular slot; a plurality of terminal members, each of said members having an electrical contacting portion located within said larger center portion of said channel of said insulating body and an elongated portion protruding from said insulating body; an insulative cam positioned within said channel of said insulating body and formed to at least partially rotate within said channel; a plurality of individual resilient contact means positioned spacedly upon said insulative cam, said contact means to provide electrical contact between said electrical contacting portions of said terminal members and corresponding areas of said printed circuit board; and means for retaining said insulative cam adapted to fit within said opposing end portions of said channel of said insulating body.
 2. The printed circuit board connector according to claim 1 in which said resilient contact means consist of a plurality of formed spring members, each having a substantially straight central portion affixed within said insulative cam and having projecting end contacting portions angularly bent to extend from said cam in opposing directions.
 3. The printed circuit board connector according to claim 2 in which said formed spring members are sUbstantially S-shaped.
 4. The printed circuit board connector according to claim 1 in which said means for retaining said insulative cam within said opposing end portions of said channel consist of a plurality of boxlike plugs positioned atop said cam and within said opposing end portions of said channel.
 5. The printed circuit board connector according to claim 4 in which each of said boxlike plugs is provided with a protruding rib member.
 6. The printed circuit board connector according to claim 5 in which said insulative cam is provided with a plurality of indented grooves to mate with said protruding rib members of said boxlike plugs, said protruding rib members thereby restricting the amount of rotational movement of said cam.
 7. The printed circuit board connector according to claim 1 in which said insulative cam has an end portion, said end portion extending from said insulative body and incorporating means to facilitate movement of said cam after insertion of said printed circuit board.
 8. The printed circuit board connector according to claim 7 in which said means to facilitate movement of said cam after insertion of said printed circuit board consists of an extending rectangular body formed to accept a corresponding tool member.
 9. The printed circuit board connector according to claim 7 in which said means to facilitate movement of said cam after insertion of said printed circuit board consists of a dial member. 